Who’ll sing a psalm? 
  “I,” said the Thrush,
  As she sat in a bush,
“And I’ll sing a psalm.”

And who’ll toll the bell? 
  “I,” said the Bull,
  “Because I can pull;”
And so, Cock Robin, farewell.

EPITAPH FOR ROBIN REDBREAST.

Thou shalt have a little bed
Made for thee, and overspread
With brown leaves for coverlet,
Which the tearful dew has wet. 
I, among the songs of Spring,
Will miss the song thou didst not sing.

“PLAY WITH ME!”

The kitten came this morning, and said,
With a touch of her paw and a turn of her head? 
  “Play, play with me!”

And Skye, the terrier, caught my hand,
And tried to make me understand,—­
  “Play, play with me!”

And Nelly nipped my shoulder quite hard,
And then she went prancing around the yard—­
  “Play, play with me!”

I played with them all!  Now, wouldn’t you play,
If a little child, like me, should say,
  “Play, play with me?”

THE PIPER.

Piping down the valleys wild. 
Piping songs of pleasant glee,
On a cloud I saw a child,
And he laughing said to me:—­

“Pipe a song about a lamb:” 
So I piped with merry cheer. 
“Piper, pipe that song again:” 
So I piped; he wept to hear.

“Drop thy pipe, thy happy pipe,
Sing thy songs of happy cheer:” 
So I sung the same again,
While he wept with joy to hear.

“Piper, sit thee down and write
In a book that all may read.” 
So he vanish’d from my sight;
And I pluck’d a hollow reed,

And I made a rural pen,
And I stain’d the water clear,
And I wrote my happy songs
Every child may joy to hear.

INFANT JOY.

I have no name—­
I am but two days old. 
What shall I call thee? 
I happy am,
Joy is my name.—­
Sweet joy befall thee!

Pretty joy! 
Sweet joy but two days old. 
Sweet joy I call thee,
Thou dost smile,
I sing the while,
Sweet joy befall thee!

THE LAMB.

Little lamb, who made thee? 
Dost thou know who made thee,
Gave thee life and bid thee feed
By the stream and o’er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest cloth, woolly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice
Making all the vales rejoice;
  Little lamb, who made thee? 
  Dost thou know who made thee? 
Little lamb, I’ll tell thee,
Little lamb, I’ll tell thee. 
He is called by thy name,
For He calls himself a Lamb: 
He is meek and he is mild,
He became a little child,
I a child and thou a lamb,
We are called by His name. 
  Little lamb, God bless thee,
  Little lamb, God bless thee.